Open Now
Open Now
Watch now

Iconic punk label Dischord Records makes entire catalog free online

Record stores may be closed right now, but one legendary punk purveyor just made its entire discography free to stream. Washington, DC-based indie music label Dischord Records, founded in 1980, has made its full catalog available for free on Bandcamp in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And while streaming is free on Bandcamp, higher …

Record stores may be closed right now, but one legendary punk purveyor just made its entire discography free to stream.

Washington, DC-based indie music label Dischord Records, founded in 1980, has made its full catalog available for free on Bandcamp in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

And while streaming is free on Bandcamp, higher quality downloads are available for purchase — with all revenue going directly to the artists.

“Today, @bandcamp is waiving its revenue share to help artists impacted by COVIC-19. The complete Dischord catalog is currently available on the site as are works by a number of labels, musicians and bands who will benefit directly from your support,” Dischord announced on its Twitter account May 1. Dischord is co-owned by Fugazi vocalist Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, both 58, of Minor Threat.

On May 1, Bandcamp held the first of three First Fridays where it waived its cut of earnings from artist sales on the platform. The strategy turned out to be a windfall, netting $7.1 million in direct-to-artist revenue, Spin reported.

“Update on last Friday’s campaign: Fans paid artists $7.1 million in just 24 hours ($2.8m more than March 20th). Thank you for supporting artists impacted by Covid-19, and mark your calendars for the next #BandcampFriday on June 5th!” Bandcamp tweeted.

In addition to making its catalog streamable at no cost, Dischord has also delayed the release of some records in response to the coronavirus.

“With the shut down of distributors and record stores still in place across the country and world, Dischord has decided to postpone the release date of the Coriky record until late May,” Dischord wrote in a post last month. “The decision to further postpone the record was made in solidarity with the shuttered shops and distributors and with the hope that the independent music network will survive. This is uncharted territory, but we’re doing our best to look out for all concerned and hopeful that we can all get to the other side of this together.”

Ian MacKaye holds up a photo of his office from the 1980s as he stands in his office in Arlington, Virginia, on March 25, 2016.AFP via Getty Images

Follow us on Google News

Filed under